The 79th Street Causeway and the neighborhoods it connects are a demographic hodgepodge. On the mainland, the scruffy stretch between Biscayne Boulevard and the water demonstrates that the ''up and coming Upper East Side'' still has its down side.
On the Beach, it was inevitable that a down-at-the-heels Chinese restaurant where the Beatles once feasted would close. But it also seemed inevitable that a big, flashy eatery with impressive waterfront would close, then reopen in a new format, though still without apparent success.
More modest ventures have it better. Boteco, a hip bar-restaurant that can transport one to Rio in décor and attitude, appeals to local Brazilians. It's more party setting than restaurant -- every night there's some sort of entertainment, including samba lessons. But what is served is true Brazilian.
A picanha, the popular South American sirloin cut, has its signature strip of fat, which keeps it moister than other sirloins. The chicken croquettes are small torpedoes with shredded chicken filling -- not unlike the codfish fritters. Neither is terrific, but somehow they please the palate -- fried baby food for drinking grown-ups.
In the meantime, the samba lesson beckons, and that only makes one hungry for more. Practically all offerings are called ''appetizers'' on the menu: whether a fritter or a steak, you're eating this to keep you partying.
• Boteco, 916 NE 79th St., Miami; 305-757-7735. 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Monday-Friday, 1 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturday-Sunday (lunch daily beginning March 1); dishes $7-$13. Free parking.
EL TORITO
Up the street, and still on the mainland, Parrillada El Torito, which not long ago was mostly a takeout joint, now attracts a large Latino lunch crowd. The inexpensive and serviceable specials include Argentine classics like vacío (flap steak), entraña (skirt steak) and asado (short ribs), as well as chicken or beef milanesa.
Though most of the menu is Argentine, El Torito's owners are Peruvian. The handful of Peruvian dishes includes one that is like a parrillada and sides all mixed together: lomo salteado, steak strips cooked with onions, peppers and French fries, in one heap.
It's a dish that really depends on homemade fries, which these are not, so it misses the mark. On the other hand, the beef empanada is wonderfully seasoned.
• El Torito, 650 NE 79th St., Miami; 305-756-5333. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday. Appetizers $1.25-$6.99, lunch specials $5.60-$6.60, dinner entrees $7.99-$19.99, desserts $1.50-$2.75. Free parking.
CHE SOPRANO'S
A more authentic Argentine experience can be had at an Italian restaurant on the Beach, Che Soprano's. (There are three Che Soprano's in town, and this is the home base.)
Besides a wide choice of both tomato and white pizzas (excellent mozzarella and onion white pizza on thin crust), the brightly lit but inviting restaurant offers pastas and daily specials that taste, as a waitress claimed, like comida casera -- home cooking.
Indeed, cannelloni were soft pasta (''We roll out our own pasta dough,'' the waitress said) wrapped around beef, chicken or spinach. One can order one of each, topped with a creamy tomato sauce. (For all the mucho-macho-gaucho posturing at parrilladas and churrascarias, the South American palate has a soft spot for, well, softness.)
A daily special of matahambre came in two versions, cold and hot. The former was the well-known veal roll-up, but the latter, seldom seen in local Argentine emporia, was served with a sauce spiked with cheese and garlic over it and a side of mashed potatoes. The spuds, alas, did not taste home-mashed, breaking some of the comida casera spell. But the slices of sauced meat were quite delicious.
• Che Soprano's, 916 71st St., Miami Beach; 305-868-8989. 11 a.m.-midnight daily. Appetizers $1.95-$8.95, entrees $6.95-$13.95, desserts $4.95-$5.59. Free parking.
